Gas burning infrared ray generator



Dec. 26, 1967 D. SAPONARA ETAL 3,350,028

GAS BURNING INFRARED RAY GENERATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan.

//i l /V70)PS .SAPONARA EDWARD M. REQSTREAKE DOM EN/CK 1957 D. SAPONARA ETAL QAS BURNING INFRARED RAY GENERATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan.

'M/I/H/MPJ, D OMf/V/CK 5A PONA RA EDWARD M. PEDSTREAKE United States Patent 3,360,028 GAS BURNING INFRARED RAY GENERATOR Domenick Saponara, Allentown, and Edward M. Redstreake, Jr., Macungie, Pa., assignors to Caloric Corporation, Topton, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Jan. 3, 1966, Ser. No. 518,359 4 Claims. (Cl. 158-99) Our invention relates to a gas fired, infrared ray generator, or radiant burner of the general type disclosed in Patent No. 3,122,197.

The object of the invention is to produce an improved burner of the type set forth.

A further object is to produce an improved burner which is easily and inexpensively made of sheet metal and which is so designed as to operate without a venturi.

A still further object is to provide an improved burner which does not back-flash and which will withstand air currents or gusts better than comparable designs.

A still further object is to provide an improved construction which insures prompt and uniform distribution over the entire surface of the burner whereby instant lighting and an even flame are assured.

A still further object is to produce an improved construction which is readily mounted in, or removed from, a broiler compartment or similar enclosure.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a gas fired infrared generator embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the same, looking in the direction of line 3-3 on FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a left-hand end view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a right-hand end view of FIG 2.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view looking in the direction of line 6-6 on FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view looking in the direction of line 77 on FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view looking in the direction of line 8-8 on FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a baflie forming part of the burner.

FIG. 10 is similar to FIG. 6 but showing a slight modification.

FIG. 11 is similar to FIG. 6 but showing a slight modification.

The burner illustrated includes a combustion-sustaining surface, means for supplying a fuel mixture, and means for uniformly distributing the fuel, mixture so as to produce a substantially uniform heat output over the entire area of the combustion sustaining surface. The combustion surface may take the form of a single, smooth surface screen 10 of about 40 mesh, or of any mesh fine enough to sustain combustion, or it may take the form of a rippled, or undulated screen 12 as shown in FIG. 10, and in the patent aforesaid, or it may be of sandwic form, that is, it may consist of a coarse center screen 14, an inner fine screen 16 and an outer fine screen 18, as shown in FIG. 11 and in the prior patent.

The combustion-sustaining surface, which is hereinafter referred to as screen, is elongated and is concaved or dome-shaped in cross section, FIG. 4, 5 and 7. The opposite ends of the combustion sustaining screen are also of a. dome-shape, FIG. 2. This contour encourages the upward flow of the products of combustion and thus insures continued eflicient combustion.

The combustion-sustaining screen is mounted on the underside of plate 20 and is secured thereto by bending the longitudinal and right end marginal portions 22 of the plate, and clamping them over the corresponding edges of the screen as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7. The left end of the screen is clamped to the underside of plate 20 by a clip 23.

About the center thereof, plate 20 is provided with an opening 26 which registers with the closed right end 30 of conduit 28. The left end 32 of the conduit is open and is adapted to be supplied with gasby any suitable connection, not shown. Conduit 28 is preferably made by bending a flat sheet to form an inverted, semi-cylindrical trough 32 which is mounted on the upper side of plate 20 and held in place by spot welding its flanges, as at 24, or by any other means. It will be remembered that the fuel flowing through conduit 28 has a certain momentum or kinetic energy-in the direction of its motion and unlessit is obstructed by something, the fuel will tend to move straight through opening 26. This results in a concentration of fuel at the center of the burner and may also result in the flow of fuel through the screen at an undesirable rate. It also means that the gas supply in the remaining portions of the cavity will be inadequate.

In order to distribute the fuel mixture evenly over the screen, we provide a bafiie 36 which underlies opening 26 in plate 20. As can best be seen from FIG. 9, the baflle includes oppositewalls 38 and 40, each of which is provided with one or more spaced slots 42, an end wall 44 provided with an aperture 46 and a. bottom wall 48 which connects the side and end walls and which is provided with one or more slots 50. The side and end walls of the baflle are provided with flanges 52 for securement to the under side of plate 20. In this connection, it should be pointed out that while the burner may be oriented in any desired direction, it is illustrated as a broiler burner and is provided with a bracket 54 for suspending the burner from the roof of a broiler compartment which may, or may not, form part of a cooking range.

By inspection of FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, and as can be seen from the foregoing description, the bafiie of our invention eliminates this problem because the relatively fast-moving fuel impinges on bottom wall 48 of the bafile and dissipates most, if not all, of its energy. Some of the fuel will flow through slots 50 to help supply the lower portion of the cavity. The remaining gas will be deflected upwardly and laterally within the baifle. Some of the deflected fuel will pass through slots 42 in side walls 38 and 40 to supply the central portion of the cavity, and the rest of the fuel will pass through aperture 46 in end wall 44 and through the wholly unobstructed left end of the baflle to supply the end portions of the cavity.

It will be noted that the unobstructed end of the baffie afiords a larger passage than the slots 50 land 42 in the bottom and side walls, respectively, and a larger passage than opening 46 in end wall 44. This compensates for the lack of momentum of the fuel flow to the left as viewed in FIG. 6 It should also be noted that the specific calibration and spacing of the slots and of the aperture, relative to the unobstructed left end of the baifle is such that the fuel is distributed at a fairly uniform pressure in all parts of the cavity.

As will further be seen from the foregoing, by this invention a gas burning infrared generator is produced which requires no venturi and which may be easily and inexpensively fabricated from sheet steel.

It will be understood that various changes and modifications may be rnade in the structure above described, without in any way departing from the basic idea, or principles, of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. A gas burning infrared a flat, elongated plate,

a generally concave screen secured to, and co-operating generator including:

with, one side of said plate to form an elongated fuel receiving cavity, there being an opening formed in said plate and leading to said cavity intermediate the ends thereof, and a generally conoave member secured to and coacting with the other side of said plate to form a generally semi-cylindrical fuel conduit with the fuel receiving end'thereot near one end of said plate and with the fuel discharging end thereof overlying said opening. 2. The structure defined in claim 1 and a baffle disposed within said cavity in the path of flow of fuel through said opening for uniformly distributing the fuel flowing through said opening.

3. The structure recited in claim 2 wherein said baffie includes:

opposite walls, each of which is provided with at least one slot therein, an end wall having an aperture therein, a bottom wall connecting said side and end walls and having at least one slot therein, and means securing said baflie to said one side of said plate, whereby fuel which flows through said aperture will pass downwardly and laterally through said slots, and through said aperture towards one end of said cavity and toward the other end of said cavity through the other end of said bafiie.

4. A gas burning infrared generator including:

a plate having an opening intermediate its ends but being otherwise imperforate,

an imperforate conduit of a generally semi-cylindrical cross section secured to one surface of said plate inwardly of the edges thereof,

one end of said conduit overlying said opening and the other end thereof located at one end of said :plate,

a screen having a generally semi-cylindrical cross section on the other side of said plate,

the side edges of said plate being bent toward the center thereto to form recesses lfOI receiving and clamping the corresponding edges of the screen.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,497,787 2/1950 Minster 158-115 3,029,802 4/1962 Webster 126-93 3,029,866 4/1962 Honger 158-114 3,129,749 4/1964 H-onger 158-114 3,169,572 2/1965 Constance et al. 126-92 X 3,219,097 11/1965 Prince et 'al 158-114 25 JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A GAS BURNING INFRARED GENERATOR INCLUDING: A FLAT, ELONGATED PLATE, A GENERALLY CONCAVE SCREEN SECURED TO, AND CO-OPERATING WITH, ONE SIDE OF SAID PLATE TO FORM AN ELONGATED FUEL RECEIVING CAVITY, THERE BEING AN OPENING FORMED IN SAID PLATE AND LEADING TO SAID CAVITY INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF, AND A GENERALLY CONCAVE MEMBER SECURED TO AND COACTING WITH THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID PLATE FOR FORM A GENERALLY SEMI-CYLINDRICAL FUEL CONDUIT WITH THE FUEL RECEIVING END THEREOF NEAR ONE END OF SAID PLATE AND WITH THE FUEL DISCHARGING END THEREOF OVERLYING SAID OPENING. 